Following Joe Rogan’s first podcast interview with Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, I remarked that the outrage against Rogan for going soft on Dorsey was a bit misplaced, as Rogan’s show is an example of process journalism. Indeed, the initial interview with Dorsey was not the final product, or final podcast, on Twitter, and it was not the final opportunity to address censorship of certain voices on the platform.
Rogan followed up by having on journalist and Twitter critic Tim Pool, not once but twice, with the second time featuring Pool alongside Dorsey and a Twitter exec who oversees the policing of users. This made for some very “healthy” conversation, as the group liked to put it, on the state of free speech or lack thereof on Twitter’s platform. It was the first time the public received answers — satisfactory or not — as to why prominent figures such as Alex Jones were banned by Twitter.
Kudos to Rogan for organizing and hosting what was essentially a debate on social media censorship and freedom of speech in the digital age. I find it quite noteworthy that this important debate was taking place on a podcast, rather than on CNN or some other major cable or network news outlet. Media are rapidly transforming. Interesting times ahead.